Pallet with pallet block protection system

ABSTRACT

A pallet and a method of building a pallet is provided. The pallet includes a first deck, a second deck, and at least one pallet block connecting the first deck and the second deck. The pallet also includes a sleeve that is disposed around the at least one pallet block, wherein the sleeve comprises an inner wall having a first cross-sectional shape, and wherein the sleeve further comprises an outer wall having a second cross-sectional shape, wherein the first cross-sectional shape is different than the second cross-sectional shape.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to pallets designed for use with forklifts and to a method for building a pallet.

2. Description of the Related Art

Pallets are one of the most widely used means for handling large amounts of heavy materials. Usually heavy machinery, such as a forklift, is used to move heavily loaded pallets as needed. Thus, pallets are designed to allow a set of fork tines on the forklift to be inserted between a top deck and bottom deck of the pallet. However, the tines of the forklift can damage the pallets if they are incorrectly aligned with the space between the pallet decks. Often, the front or sides of the tines hit one or more pallet blocks joining the two pallet decks, thereby damaging the pallet block. Some pallet blocks may be damaged more than others because of the shape of the block. As a result of the damage, the integrity and stability of the entire pallet may be compromised. Compromised pallets are safety hazards because the materials loaded on a pallet can fall if a compromised pallet breaks. Injuries to people or damage to goods and equipment that may result are unacceptable.

Attempts to prevent pallets from being compromised include changing the pallet material from wood to a more sturdy material, such as some type of plastic, or adding covers to the forklift tines to soften the impact at insertion. However, each of these solutions has failed to satisfactorily prevent pallets from becoming compromised.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aspects of the present invention provide a pallet and a method of building a pallet. The pallet includes a first deck, a second deck, and at least one pallet block connecting the first deck and the second deck. A sleeve is disposed around the at least one pallet block for protection against damage caused by the tines of a forklift.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a material handling scenario in which an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can be implemented;

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a pallet, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a sleeve for a pallet block, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for building a pallet, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts a material handling scenario in which an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can be implemented. Forklift 110 lifts and moves pallet 130 using tines 120 and 122 attached to the front of forklift 110. While forklift 110 can be a fork truck, forklift 110 can also be any piece of equipment that uses one or more tines or similar structure to move a pallet.

Tines 120 and 122 are inserted between first deck 132 and base beams 134 and 136 forming a second deck of pallet 130. Tine 122 is also inserted between sleeves 140, 141, 143, and 144, and tine 120 is inserted between sleeves 141, 142, 144, and 145. Sleeves 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, and 145 are disposed around corresponding pallet block 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, and 155. Pallet block 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, and 155 connect first deck 132 and to the second deck and maintains a space between the decks.

In the illustrative example shown, pallet 130 is provided with a total of six pallet blocks (150 through 155). However, pallet 130 can also have more or less pallet blocks. A pallet could potentially be built without pallet blocks, but most pallets include at least one pallet block, and usually include a plurality of pallet blocks.

Sleeves 140 through 145 act as protective covers for pallet blocks 150 through 155 respectively. Each sleeve is adapted to prevent the pallet feet from being damaged as the tines 120 and 122 are inserted between deck 132 and base beams 134 and 136 which form the second deck. When tines 120 and 122 are inserted into pallet 130, if the tines contact one or more of sleeves 140 through 145, one or more of sleeves 140 through 145 will deflect tines 120 and 122 away from the corresponding pallet feet. Thus, sleeves 140 through 145 also assist tines 120 and 122 to be properly aligned within the opening of pallet 130. Therefore, tines 120 and 122 roll off or slide over the outside of sleeves 140 through 145 and pass into the opening between first deck 132 and base beams 134 and 136 of pallet 130.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a pallet, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Pallet 200 includes first deck 210, base beams 220 and 222 to form the second deck, six pallet blocks (230, 231, 232, 233, 234, and 235), and sleeves 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, and 245 disposed around the corresponding pallet blocks 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, and 235. Pallet blocks 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, and 235 can be any number of shapes, including but not limited to a right circular cylinder, a right elliptical cylinder, or a prism.

Sleeves 240 through 245 can be partially or fully disposed around pallet blocks 230 through 235 respectively. Partially disposed means that the sleeve partially surrounds the entire cross-section and/or length of the pallet block. In the illustrative embodiment, sleeves 240 through 245 are partially disposed around corresponding pallet blocks 230 through 235.

First deck 210 is the top of pallet 200. In the example shown, base beams 220 and 222 form the second deck and make up the bottom of pallet 200. First deck 210 and the second deck can be formed from a single, solid piece of material or one or more base beams. A base beam can be made of various materials, such as wood, steel, plastic, or some combination thereof, which are suitable for holding heavy materials.

In the illustrative embodiment, pallet blocks 230 through 235 connect first deck 210 to base beams 220 and 222. Pallet blocks 230, 231, and 232 are disposed on front 250 of pallet 200 and pallet blocks 233, 234, and 235 are disposed on back 260 of pallet 200. Sleeves 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, and 246 are disposed around pallet blocks 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, and 235 respectively.

Sleeves 240 through 245 can be hollow structures that are not permanently affixed to pallet blocks 230 through 235, to first deck 210, or to base beams 220 and 222. In the illustrative embodiment, sleeves 240 through 245 are sized and dimensioned to enable sleeves 240 through 245 to move laterally and/or rotate freely around pallet blocks 230 through 235. Thus, in the illustrative embodiment, sleeves 240 through 245 are shorter in length than pallet blocks 230 through 235 and larger in cross-section than pallet blocks 230 through 235. Therefore, if a tine strikes a sleeve, the sleeve is adapted to rotate or shift in position relative to a corresponding pallet block. The rotation or motion of the sleeve helps prevent damage to the corresponding pallet block and to the rest of the pallet. However, in other embodiments, one or more of the sleeves may be as long as a corresponding pallet block. In addition, in other embodiments, one or more of the sleeves may be fixedly attached to either first deck 210 or the second deck, and, therefore, the tines of the forklift will slide over a fixed sleeve.

FIG. 3 shows a sleeve for a pallet block, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Sleeve 300 is a hollow tube with inner wall 310 and outer wall 320. In the illustrative embodiment, the cross section of sleeve 300 is a right circular cylinder with inner wall 310 and outer wall 320 having the same cross-sectional shapes. However, either wall of sleeve 300 can be a right elliptical cylinder, a prism, or some other shape. For example, inner wall 310 can have a first cross-sectional shape, such as a circle, and outer wall 320 can have a second cross-sectional shape, such as a hexagon.

Sleeve 300 can be made out of any type of material that is durable and resilient enough to protect the pallet blocks from damage caused by impact from a forklift's prongs, such as a metal alloy, a plastic resin, or any combination thereof. In the illustrative example shown, sleeve 300 is made out of a material such as polypropylene or high density polyethylene.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the method for building a pallet in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The method begins by attaching a pallet block to a first deck of a pallet (step 400). After the pallet block is attached, a determination is made as to whether all the pallet blocks that will be used to build the pallet are attached to the first deck (step 410). If an additional pallet block needs to be attached (“No” output of step 410), then the method returns to step 400 and another pallet block is attached. The process is repeated until all the pallet blocks (“Yes” output of step 410) are attached to the deck.

Once all the pallet blocks are attached to the deck, a sleeve is then disposed around a pallet block (step 420). After the sleeve is disposed, a determination is made as to whether all the pallet blocks have a sleeve disposed around the pallet blocks (step 430). If a sleeve needs to be disposed around another pallet block (“No” output of step 430), then the method returns to step 420 to have a sleeve disposed around another pallet block. The process is repeated until all pallet blocks (“Yes” output of step 430) have a sleeve disposed around the pallet blocks.

Once a sleeve is disposed around all the pallet blocks, a pallet foot is attached to the second deck (step 440). After the pallet block is attached to the second deck, a determination is made as to whether all the pallet blocks that will be used to build the pallet are attached to the second deck (step 450). If an additional pallet block needs to be attached (“No” output of step 450), then the method returns to step 440 and another pallet block is attached. The process is repeated until all the pallet blocks (“Yes” output of step 450) are attached to the second deck. Once all the pallet blocks are attached to the second deck, the method ends.

The method for building a pallet in accordance with the aspects of the present invention is not limited to the described steps or order of steps. For instance, the method may include disposing a sleeve around each pallet blocks after the pallet block is attached to both decks.

The aspects of the present invention provide a pallet and a method for building a pallet with a pallet block protection system. The pallet includes a first deck, a second deck, at least one pallet block connecting the first and second decks, and a sleeve disposed around the at least one pallet block. The sleeve acts as a protective cover for the at least one pallet block. The sleeve is adapted to prevent its associated pallet block from damage as the tines of a forklift are inserted between the first and second decks. When the tines are inserted, the sleeve deflects the tines away from the pallet block. The sleeve also assists the tines to be properly aligned with the opening of the pallet. In the manner presented, the aspects of the present invention provide a pallet and a method of building a pallet.

The aspect of the present invention prevents a pallet block on a pallet from damage by a forklift. The aspects of the present invention do not require any modifications to the forklift. The aspects of the present invention also do not require the pallet to be made from any particular different material. Therefore, pallets currently in use in industry only need to be modified with one or more sleeves to protect the pallet blocks.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

1. A pallet comprising: a first deck; a second deck; at least one pallet block connecting the first deck and the second deck; and a sleeve disposed around the at least one pallet block, wherein the sleeve comprises an inner wall having a first cross-sectional shape, and wherein the sleeve further comprises an outer wall having a second cross-sectional shape, and wherein the first cross-sectional shape is different than the second cross-sectional shape.
 2. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the at least one pallet block comprises a plurality of pallet blocks connecting the first deck and the second deck, and wherein the sleeve is disposed around each of the plurality of pallet blocks.
 3. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is sized and dimensioned to rotate freely around the at least one pallet block. 4-5. (canceled)
 6. The sleeve of claim 3, wherein the inner wall and the outer wall comprise one of a right circular cylinder, a right elliptical cylinder, or a prism.
 7. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is partially disposed around the at least one pallet block.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises one of a polypropylene sleeve and a high density polyethylene sleeve. 10-18. (canceled)
 19. A pallet comprising: a first deck; a second deck; at least one pallet block connecting the first deck and the second deck; a sleeve partially disposed around the at least one pallet block, wherein the sleeve comprises an inner wall having a first cross-sectional shape, and wherein the sleeve further comprises an outer wall having a second cross-sectional shape, and wherein the first cross-sectional shape is different than the second cross-sectional shape, and wherein a cross-section of the sleeve is larger than the cross-section of the at least one pallet block, and wherein a length of the sleeve is smaller than the length of the at least one pallet block, and wherein the sleeve is sized and dimensioned to enable the sleeve to rotate freely around the at least one pallet block.
 20. The pallet of claim 19, wherein the at least one pallet block comprises a plurality of pallet blocks connecting the first deck and the second deck, and wherein the sleeve is disposed around each of the plurality of pallet blocks.
 21. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is fixedly attached to at least one of the first deck and the second deck.
 22. The sleeve of claim 7 wherein the sleeve further comprises an aperture extending through a length of the inner wall and the outer wall.
 23. A pallet comprising: a first deck; a second deck; at least one pallet block connecting the first deck and the second deck; and a sleeve disposed around the at least one pallet block, wherein the sleeve comprises an inner wall having a first cross-sectional shape, and wherein the sleeve further comprises an outer wall having a second cross-sectional shape, and wherein at least one of the first cross-sectional shape and the second cross-sectional shape is non-cylindrical.
 24. The sleeve of claim 23 wherein at least one of the first cross-sectional shape and the second cross-sectional shape is a polygon.
 25. The sleeve of claim 23 wherein at least one of the first cross-sectional shape and the second cross-sectional shape is an ellipse.
 26. The sleeve of claim 23 wherein at least one of the first cross-sectional shape and the second cross-sectional shape is a hexagon. 